Incumbent Iliana Iotova leads first round of Bulgaria's presidential election

Nexus Europa Newsroom
Posted Oct 26, 2026, 04:00 AM UTC · In the digest of 2026-10-26-0400
Incumbent Iliana Iotova leads first round of Bulgaria's presidential election
Photo: Ziarul de Gardă

Incumbent Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova led exit polls in the presidential election, advancing to a runoff against pro-Western candidate Andrey Gyurov.

Bulgarian voters cast their ballots on Sunday in a presidential election marked by heightened security concerns following recent drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Incumbent President Iliana Iotova secured first place in the initial round of voting, capturing between 35% and 36.5% of the vote according to exit polls. Because no candidate achieved an absolute majority among the field of contenders, a runoff will be required. Iotova, who advocates for dialogue with Moscow and opposes military assistance to Ukraine, is set to face former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov in the second round. Gyurov, backed by the pro-Western opposition, placed second with approximately 32% of the vote.

Voting took place from 07:00 to 20:00 local time across the country.

Sources: Digi24, HotNews, Moldova1, TV8, Ziarul de Gardă

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